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Savannah officials eye anti-violence initiative

Savannah officials hope to match the success experienced by other cities in reducing shootings by adopting a violence-reduction initiative that targets individuals who are the biggest threats with outreach and enforcement.

Savannah City Manager Stephanie Cutter and Alderwoman Mary Osborne — during a one-day visit about two weeks ago — received a briefing from city and law enforcement officials in Chattahooga, Tenn., on that city’s Violence Reduction Initiative.

Cutter said a similar initiative was first proposed in Savannah in 2012 and was warmly received by the City Council. Now, the proposal has the support of interim Police Chief Julie Tolbert and interim Assistant Police Chief Terry Enoch, Cutter said, and the logistics of the plan are being developed.

“I should have that within 30 days,” she said last week.

Some offenders have embraced the Chattanooga initiative since it was fully implemented in mid-March, although the program is too new for city leaders to declare victory, according to local news reports.

Another city looked to as a model for the program, High Point, N.C., has seen crime drop in its West End neighborhood by 26.2 percent since its initiative began in 2004 while violent crime fell 57 percent, according to a December article in the The Fayetteville Observer.

The program is based on a model introduced by criminologist David Kennedy in Boston. The initiative, which has been praised for reducing crime in Boston, focuses on known offenders who are the source of most violent crimes.

The participants are compelled to meet with police, city officials and community leaders, then are offered education and employment assistance as a way to lift them out of a life of crime.

If they refuse to cooperate, officials pledge to come down hard on any illegal activities in which they or their associates are involved.

During the meeting with Cutter, Chattanooga officials said the plan was based on the premise that the majority of violent crimes are committed by a small group of people, said Reed Dulany, of Dulany Industries, who provided transportation for Cutter and Osborne.

Dulany said he saw the initiative as one way to help Savannah live up to its potential.